How to Notarise a No Objection Certificate in Australia

A "no objection certificate", usually shortened to NOC, is a signed statement that the person or organisation signing it does not object to something: a passport being issued, a visa being granted, a property being sold, an employee travelling. The term is used widely in South Asia, the Middle East and parts of Africa and Asia, and authorities there often ask people living in Australia to supply one.

There is no Australian form of NOC. It is whatever the requesting authority says it is, and that is the key to getting it right.

The kinds of NOC that come from Australia

A personal NOC. A family member in Australia states that they do not object. Common examples are a spouse consenting to a passport or visa, or a co-owner or co-heir not objecting to a property sale, transfer or change in the land records abroad.

A parent's NOC for a child. A parent who cannot attend consents to a child's passport, travel or school enrolment. This overlaps closely with a travel consent letter; our page on notarising a child travel consent covers it in detail.

An employer's NOC. An Australian employer confirms it does not object to an employee travelling, studying, taking leave or applying for a visa to a third country, and often that the job remains open on return.

What a notary cannot supply is an NOC from a government body. If the authority wants an NOC from an Australian department or from a foreign embassy, only that body can issue it.

Start from the requesting authority's format

Most failures come from writing the NOC from scratch. Before anyone signs:

• Ask for the template. Many authorities prescribe the wording, and some require an affidavit format rather than a letter.
• Check the details it must contain: usually full names as they appear in passports, passport numbers, the relationship, and the precise purpose, such as the property's address or the applicant's name and passport number.
• Check the form of attestation: a notary, the authority's own consulate, or both.

Some consulates attest NOCs from their own nationals directly, at the counter. If yours does, that may be simpler than a notary plus an apostille. Ask the consulate.

How to have it notarised

For a personal NOC, the person giving consent attends with the unsigned NOC and photo identification, ideally the passport whose details appear in the document. The notary checks their identity, confirms they understand what they are signing and are signing freely, witnesses the signature (or administers an oath if it is in affidavit form), and attaches a notarial certificate.

The notary witnesses the signature. The notary does not confirm that the contents are true, and does not issue an NOC in their own name.

Employer NOCs are signed by someone authorised to speak for the business, on letterhead. Many recipients accept the letter as it is, with no notary. Where a notarised version is wanted, the notary will usually want evidence of the signatory's position, and some recipients want the notary to certify it. See our page on notarising for a company.

Property NOCs deserve care

An NOC about property can mean more than it seems. Depending on the country and the wording, a statement that you do not object to a sale or transfer can be treated as giving up your interest in the property, or can be used as evidence that you have. That may be exactly what you intend, or it may not.

Before signing an NOC about land, an inheritance or a family business, have it reviewed by a lawyer in the country where the property is. The notary witnesses your signature; that is not advice about what the document does. Our page on inheriting an estate overseas covers the wider paperwork.

Getting a certified copy

Keep a copy of every NOC you sign. If more than one authority needs the same consent, ask whether each wants its own signed original. Usually they do, and it is simplest to sign several originals at one appointment. A notary can also certify a copy of a signed NOC after sighting the original.

Getting it apostilled or legalised

An NOC signed before an Australian notary is an Australian document going overseas. Only DFAT issues apostilles in Australia; a notary cannot.

• If the destination is a party to the Hague Apostille Convention, DFAT issues an apostille. Membership changes, so check the HCCH status table on the day.
• If it is not, DFAT authenticates the document and it then goes to that country's embassy or consulate in Australia for legalisation.

Some destinations also require the document to be registered or stamped locally once it arrives. Ask the recipient what happens on arrival, so the document is not wasted.

The recipient decides whose translation it accepts; some want the NOC in their own language from the start.

What it costs

Notarial fees are not set by statute and vary between practitioners. As a market estimate only:

• witnessing a signature on an NOC: roughly $90–$180
• each additional signed original at the same appointment: usually less
• employer NOCs with authority checks: usually quoted individually

DFAT and embassy fees are separate and per document.

Frequently asked questions

Can a Justice of the Peace witness an NOC? For use overseas, generally not. A JP is not recognised abroad and a JP-witnessed document cannot be apostilled. A consulate may, however, have its own arrangements; check.

Both of us need to give an NOC. Do we attend together? No. Each signs their own, and each needs their own identification.

The person giving consent is overseas. They sign before a notary or consular officer where they are, not in Australia.